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Farming communities, a research institute, NGOs, and businesses collaborate to
market indigenous varieties of rice grown with SRI (System of Rice Intensification)
methods, thereby improving incomes, conserving biodiversity, and benefiting
health and the environment.
Commercial rice cultivation in the developing world
is becoming financially and environmentally unsustainable
due to low market prices and the high cost
of chemically-dependent cultivation practices. The
spread of 'modern' rice varieties has also led to an
alarming loss of rice biodiversity. Where many thousands
of indigenous varieties grew in the past, only a
handful now account for the bulk of rice production.
The SRI Global Marketing Partnership seeks to address
both of these problems by encouraging the
use of SRI (System of Rice Intensification) methods,
simultaneously conserving rice biodiversity, improving
the environment and significantly reducing the
cost of inputs faced by small farmers.
By adopting a set of practices for rice cultivation that
creates an environment in which the rice plant can
maximize its genetic potential, farmers can usually
double their yields while saving water and significantly
reducing the use of chemicals.
Farmers can also expect to command higher prices
for organically cultivated rice in sophisticated domestic
or international niche markets. It is estimated
that farmers in at least twenty countries are starting
to use SRI methods and to generate marketable surpluses.
However, there is no coordinated knowledge
dissemination about marketing opportunities and
requirements.
This initiative will introduce mechanisms for farmers
in the three partner countries (Cambodia, Madagascar
and Sri Lanka) to share information and help to
develop a stronger presence in local markets, access
the export markets of Europe, Japan and North
America, and receive Fair Trade certification. Once
trade links are established, the network will expand
to other developing countries.
It is hoped that farmer organizations already working
with SRI around the world will join the network and
add their experiences to the growing wealth of information
on SRI techniques.
